1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an optical storage device, and more particularly to a cartridge holding mechanism for an optical storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical disk has received attention as a memory medium that becomes a core in the recent rapid development of multimedia, and it is usually accommodated in a cartridge case to be provided as an optical disk cartridge for practical use. The optical disk cartridge is loaded into an optical disk drive to perform reading/writing of data (information) from/to the optical disk by means of an optical pickup (optical head). A recent optical disk drive intended to realize size reduction is composed of a fixed optical assembly including a laser diode module, a polarization beam splitter for reflecting and transmitting a laser beam, and a photodetector for receiving reflected light from an optical disk, and a movable optical assembly including a carriage and an optical head having an objective lens and a beam raising mirror mounted on the carriage.
The carriage is movable in the radial direction of the optical disk along a pair of rails by means of a voice coil motor. A write-power laser beam emitted from the laser diode module of the fixed optical assembly is first collimated by a collimator lens, next transmitted by the polarization beam splitter, next reflected by the beam raising mirror of the optical head, and finally focused on the optical disk by the objective lens, thereby writing data onto the optical disk. On the other hand, data reading is performed by directing a read-power laser beam onto the optical disk. Reflected light from the optical disk is first collimated by the objective lens, next reflected by the polarization beam splitter, and finally detected by the photodetector, thereby converting the detected optical signal into an electrical signal.
In general, a cartridge holder is used to hold the optical disk cartridge in the optical disk drive. Further, a spring mechanism as an independent component for firmly holding the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder, so as to prevent the play (rattling) of the cartridge in the cartridge holder due to vibration or shock. However, the optical disk is a removable medium, and there are slight variations in size of the cartridge, differences in material of the cartridge, and differences in surface finished condition of the cartridge due to differences in cartridge maker. According to these differences and differences in use frequency (the number of insertions and ejections) of the cartridge, there occur variations in frictional force generated between the cartridge surface and the cartridge holder or another sliding member such as a drive base in the optical disk drive. Accordingly, even in the same optical disk drive, the amount of ejection of the cartridge tends to vary because of such variations in frictional force.
To suppress such variations in the amount of ejection of the cartridge, the conventional cartridge holding mechanism is provided with means for minimizing a change in elastic force of the spring mechanism for holding the cartridge, or provided with a hook mechanism or brake mechanism for stopping or braking the cartridge during ejection. However, such a conventional cartridge holding mechanism employing a spring mechanism as an independent component has a problem of cost increase due to an increase in parts count, an increase in man-hour for parts mounting, and an increase in man-hour for parts managing, for example.
There is a recent trend that a semitransparent cartridge shell (case) is adopted to make the cartridge fashionable. Further, while the conventional cartridge shell is formed of polycarbonate, there is a tendency that the recent cartridge shell is formed of ABS resin lower in hardness than polycarbonate. That is, the hardness of polycarbonate is 120 and the hardness of ABS resin is 103 as measurements by Rockwell ASTMD785, R scale representation.
However, such a semitransparent cartridge shell tends to show noticeable scratches. Further, in the case that the semitransparent cartridge shell is formed of ABS resin lower in hardness than polycarbonate, the scratches becomes more noticeable. Accordingly, in inserting or ejecting an optical disk cartridge having the semitransparent cartridge shell into or from an optical disk drive, the surface of the cartridge shell may be scratched by a mechanism (including springs in many cases) for holding the cartridge, causing a problem that the appearance of the cartridge is deteriorated by the repetition of insertion/ejection of the cartridge with respect to the optical disk drive.
Further, when inserting the optical disk cartridge into the optical disk drive, a shutter of the optical disk cartridge is opened by a shutter opening/closing mechanism including a slider and a torsion spring, thereby exposing an optical disk accommodated in the cartridge shell. In the conventional shutter opening/closing mechanism, an engaging portion between the slider and the torsion spring is spaced apart from a slide portion on which the slider slides, so that a large bending moment is produced in sliding the slider. Accordingly, in the case that burrs or the like are present on the slide portion, a sliding load on the slider increases to cause a possibility that stable insertion/ejection of the cartridge is difficult to obtain.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge holding mechanism for an optical storage device which can stably hold a cartridge in the optical storage device and can prevent a cartridge shell from being scratched in inserting or ejecting the cartridge with respect to the optical storage device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cartridge holding mechanism for an optical storage device which can obtain a stable frictional force in ejecting a cartridge from the optical storage device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shutter opening/closing mechanism for a cartridge which can effect stable insertion and ejection of the cartridge with respect to an optical storage device.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device capable of accepting a cartridge including a cartridge shell and a recording medium accommodated in the cartridge shell, and reading information recorded on the recording medium, comprising a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding the cartridge inserted in the storage device, the main surface having first and second openings spaced from each other in the vicinity of a first side of the cartridge holder and a third opening in the vicinity of a second side of the cartridge holder opposite to the first side; and first, second, and third cartridge holding assemblies mounted on the cartridge holder so as to partially project from the first, second, and third openings into the cartridge holder, respectively; each of the first, second, and third cartridge holding assemblies including a cartridge holding member having a flat surface for holding the cartridge shell, a cover fixed to the cartridge holder, and an elastic member interposed between the cartridge holding member and the cover.
The cartridge holding member and the elastic member may be integrally formed from a leaf spring. Preferably, the flat surface of the cartridge holding member has a reduced surface roughness provided by surface treatment.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge holding mechanism for a storage device, comprising a base; a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding a recording medium cartridge inserted in the storage device in cooperation with the base, the main surface having first and second openings spaced from each other in the vicinity of a first side of the cartridge holder and a third opening in the vicinity of a second side of the cartridge holder opposite to the first side; and first, second, and third cartridge holding assemblies mounted on the cartridge holder so as to partially project from the first, second, and third openings into the cartridge holder, respectively; each of the first, second, and third cartridge holding assemblies comprising a cartridge holding member having a flat surface for holding the recording medium cartridge, a cover fixed to the cartridge holder, and an elastic member interposed between the cartridge holding member and the cover.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device capable of accepting a cartridge including a cartridge shell and a recording medium accommodated in the cartridge shell, and reading information recorded on the recording medium, comprising a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding the cartridge inserted in the storage device, the main surface having first and second openings spaced from each other in the vicinity of a first side of the cartridge holder and a third opening in the vicinity of a second side of the cartridge holder opposite to the first side; a first spring arm having a first portion extending over the first opening, a second portion extending over the second opening, and an intermediate portion extending between the first portion and the second portion, the first spring arm being fixed to the cartridge holder at the intermediate portion so as to extend substantially in parallel to the first side of the cartridge holder; and a second spring arm extending over the third opening substantially in parallel to the second side of the cartridge holder, the second spring arm being fixed at one end portion thereof to the cartridge holder; the first and second portions of the first spring arm having first and second projecting portions, respectively, the second spring arm having a third projecting portion at the other end portion; each of the first, second, and third projecting portions having a flat surface for holding the cartridge shell.
Preferably, the first and second projecting portions are integral with the first spring arm, and the third projecting portion is integral with the second spring arm. The flat surface of each projecting portion has a reduced surface roughness provided by surface treatment.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge holding mechanism for a storage device, comprising a base; a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding a recording medium cartridge inserted in the storage device in cooperation with the base, the main surface having first and second openings spaced from each other in the vicinity of a first side of the cartridge holder and a third opening in the vicinity of a second side of the cartridge holder opposite to the first side; a first spring arm having a first portion extending over the first opening, a second portion extending over the second opening, and an intermediate portion extending between the first portion and the second portion, the first spring arm being fixed to the cartridge holder at the intermediate portion so as to extend substantially in parallel to the first side of the cartridge holder; and a second spring arm extending over the third opening substantially in parallel to the second side of the cartridge holder, the second spring arm being fixed at one end portion thereof to the cartridge holder; the first and second portions of the first spring arm having first and second projecting portions, respectively, the second spring arm having a third projecting portion at the other end portion; each of the first, second, and third projecting portions having a flat surface for holding the cartridge.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device capable of accepting a cartridge including a cartridge shell and a recording medium accommodated in the cartridge shell, and reading information recorded on the recording medium, comprising a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding the cartridge inserted in the storage device, the main surface having a guide groove having a first portion inclined with respect to a side edge of the cartridge holder and a second portion parallel to the side edge of the cartridge holder; first and second sliders slidably fitted with the guide groove; a first spring having one end engaged with the first slider and the other end engaged with the second slider; and a second spring having one end engaged with the second slider and the other end engaged with the cartridge holder; the first slider being biased by the first and second springs in a direction of ejecting the cartridge inserted in the cartridge holder; an engaging portion between the first slider and the first spring being formed at substantially the same level as that of a slide portion on which the first slider slides.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shutter opening/closing mechanism for a cartridge having a shutter, comprising a cartridge holder having a main surface for holding the cartridge inserted in a storage device, the main surface having a guide groove having a first portion inclined with respect to a side edge of the cartridge holder and a second portion parallel to the side edge of the cartridge holder; first and second sliders slidably fitted with the guide groove; a first spring having one end engaged with the first slider and the other end engaged with the second slider; and a second spring having one end engaged with the second slider and the other end engaged with the cartridge holder; the first slider being biased by the first and second springs in a direction of ejecting the cartridge inserted in the cartridge holder; an engaging portion between the first slider and the first spring being formed at substantially the same level as that of a slide portion on which the first slider slides.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing some preferred embodiments of the invention.